Buddhism

I find it hard to believe that it is acceptable to have Buddhist monks in a public school, constructing a mandala, teaching of their goddess Tara, and imparting blessings to students and a garden. I find it harder to believe that there is no public outcry to keep religion out of schools. I wonder if a group of Benedictine monks, teaching the Ten Commandments, the compassion of Jesus Christ, and imparting blessings on the students and the garden would be received with the same warm welcome.

All religions can be perverted, but there are certain oxymorons that are hard to contemplate, such as a war-mongering Quaker, a religiously zealot Unitarian or a violent Buddhist. It is Buddhism, a religion that teaches avoidance of harm to any living creature, that I want to focus on today. Buddhism is best known in this country through the teachings of the Dalai Lama, a universally respected religious leader who promotes love and compassion and supports inter-religious harmony.

Buddhism is good for Christians -- and Jews, and Muslims, and other religious Americans, according to a major expert in Buddhism. "Buddhism encourages dialogue and experience," said Robert Thurman, who will explain his ideas at a free lecture Sunday at Florida International University in North Miami. Thurman, a professor of religion at Columbia University in New York City, will speak on "The Impact of Buddhism on America's Religious Culture." The lecture, presented by the university's Institute for Asian Studies, is set for 4 p.m. at the Kovens Center on FIU's north campus, Northeast 151st Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

Meet another member of South Florida's many-sided faith community. This week we're talking with Gen Kelsang Norbu, resident teacher at Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, Fort Lauderdale. Q: What goes your title, Gen, mean? A: It's a respectful title given to a teacher after four years of teaching. There's not much a hierarchy. For lay teachers, who don't have ordination, the equivalent title is Kadam. Q: You're often called a specifically American Buddhist teacher.

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy in which believers strive to attain a state of ultimate enlightenment and inner peace. "Buddhism is a search for the soul, a way to find who you really are," said Vito Gennaro, a Buddhist who lives in Wilton Manors. Buddhism was founded in India about 500 B.C. by Buddha, the name given to Siddhartha Gautama by his followers. Buddha means "enlightened one." Gautama`s teachings were aimed at ordinary people. The teachings were passed on orally until they were later recorded in writing.

Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in 560 B.C. in a village called Lumbini and lived in northeastern India. The area was at that time one of the greatest intellectual and spiritual centers, according to the writings of Wulf Metz in Eerdman`s Handbook to the World`s Religions. His mother, Maya, had made a vow of chastity and one night had a dream that a white elephant entered her womb. Ten months later, on the day of the full moon in May, the boy was born and named Siddharta, meaning "he who has reached his goal."

SOUTH FLORIDA Buddhism is good for Christians -- and Jews, and Muslims, and other religious Americans, according to an expert in Buddhism. "Buddhism encourages dialogue and experience," said Robert Thurman, who will explain his ideas at a free lecture today at Florida International University in North Miami. Thurman, a professor of religion at Columbia University in New York City, will speak on "The Impact of Buddhism on America's Religious Culture." The lecture, presented by the university's Institute for Asian Studies, is set for 4 p.m. at the Kovens Center on FIU's north campus, Northeast 151st Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

The Unitarian Universalist Church will offer a class on Buddhism called "Some Give and Take: A Profound Visualization for Improving Love and Compassion" on Thursday at 3970 NW 21st Ave. The event starts 7 p.m. and cost is a $7 donation, $4 for students. Call 954-695-3540 or go to www.meditationinflorida.org. Fort Lauderdale Local artists are sought for Promenade in Park Beaux Arts is looking for local artists for Promenade in the Park to be held Nov. 8-10 at Holiday Park. Call 954-764-5973 or e-mail promenadefl@aol.

REGION Jacqueline Keeley, Boca Raton native and founder of the Tubten Kunga Center for Wisdom Culture, will teach beginning Buddhism at the center in Deerfield Beach from 7 to 8 p.m. beginning Thursday through April 13. The six-week course, "Buddhism for Beginners," will introduce the basic and fundamental teachings of Buddhism while also allowing more seasoned practitioners the chance to develop their own convictions. Keeley has taught "the ancient way of life" for 11 years in Boca Raton before moving to Deerfield Beach last year.

Schoolchildren got a rare chance to see seven Tibetan monks perform an ancient Buddhist blessing at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood during a stop on a yearlong tour of the Western hemisphere. The monks chanted their thanks and praise for the beauty of all things in the universe, a part of daily rituals in India, where they live in exile from their homeland. Dressed modestly in garments fashioned from bits of crimson and gold fabrics, the monks chanted. They believe the chants' vibrations inspire goodness throughout the world.

Near the western edge of developed Broward County resides the Buddha – in spirit and in the form of six-foot tall, one-ton white jade statue. Surrounding that statue is the Fo Guang Shan Temple, a Buddhist temple in Tamarac. On Feb. 2, Chinese New Year's Eve, Fo Guang Shan's members began their New Year's celebrations and services with a Reunion Dinner, Dharma Service and incense burning. Members also took turns ringing the temple's bell to bring good luck in the coming year.

The International Buddhist Progress Society in Tamarac recently celebrated the birthday of Siddh(amacronl)rtha Gautama, better known as Buddha. "Buddha represents the almighty being of the universe all Buddhists believe in. Buddha came to our world as a prince in one of the counties in India over 2,600 years ago," said Lung Chiu, the group's president. "He was enlightened later and became the Buddha. He was the originator in teaching Dharma (theory of Buddhism), and he set the system for preaching Buddhism for all people to follow."

On command, the crowd bursts into laughter. The Seicho-No-Ie speaker at the front of the room tells everyone to clutch their stomachs and do it again. To live life cheerfully is at the heart of the Japanese religion, he says. "Repeat after me: Oh infinite joy, which is at the bottom of my soul, come bubbling forth," said Cesar Mota before each round of guffaws. It's the first English service held at the Seicho-No-Ie center in years. A group of Brazilians brought the religion to Florida more than a decade ago, meeting at a Fort Lauderdale hair salon to meditate and study the Truth of Life books.

Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to Our Natural Intelligence >>Dzigar Kongtrul >>Shambala >>$21.95 To the casual Western inquirer, Buddhism can seem as forbidding as a silent monastery on a snowy mountainside. So much unfamiliar mythology to be digested! So much esoteric doctrine confronting the Judeo-Christian and/or scientific mind - the Eight-fold this, the Four-fold that! Or is that Taoism? In Light Comes Through, the Colorado-based Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul provides a primer for those who would like to benefit from a little Buddhist perspective without necessarily embarking on a course of arduous discipline.

Q. I am concerned that religion causes separation, extremist thinking and is the source of destruction. How can we accept our diversity and recognize that we are all part of humanity? -- T.W., West Palm Beach A. This question has been explored for centuries. We must each find within ourselves the capacity to embrace diversity and recognize our unity. I have chosen to answer this question through the wisdom of others. Mark Twain: "Man is the religious animal. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn't straight.

For a small number of African-Americans, freedom isn't a one-way street. It's more like a multi-lane highway. They are African-Americans who practice a sect of Buddhism based on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, a 13th century Japanese philosopher. Although Buddhism - believed to have been started about 2,500 years ago in India by Gautama Siddhartha, the original Buddha - has no roots in Africa or North America, practicing Buddhist Almeda Bailey says the religion appealed to her because it helped her break free of struggles that black people face in many aspects of life.

The altar in Becca Topol's living room carries a statue of Buddha and a garden stone painted with the Hebrew word for peace, "Shalom." "I'm a Jewish Buddhist -- a JuBu," said Topol, 37. "My Buddhist practice has actually made me a stronger Jew." While Buddhism has enriched Topol's Judaism -- giving her a deeper sense of spirituality -- it has produced confusion in fellow JuBu David Grotell. "Although I have a meditation spot in my home, as a Jew, I just can't allow myself to put a statue of Buddha there," he said.

Cathy Shapiro can't wait for sunset today: At 42, she'll be able to light her first Hanukkah candles as a Jew. The Coral Springs resident has studied Torah and Talmud. She's taken history and Hebrew. She's immersed her mind in Judaic studies and her body in the Atlantic Ocean, in the vivid conversion ritual. If anyone knows the meaning of dedication -- the translation of the word "Hanukkah" -- she does. "I am so looking forward to it," Cathy said, her face lighting up. "I'll be part of something much bigger than I am. So many people around the world, all lighting candles.